We have left Irene dying of a broken heart in her island prison while the perfidious9 Nicephorus wantons on her wealth in the sacred palace. Since no wife is associated with him in the chronicles, it is not ours to determine whether he really was “the sink of all the vices10,” as the ecclesiastical writers say, or whether his anti-clerical spirit and his refusal to persecute12 heretics have not loaded the scales against him. The example of Charlemagne, who maintained an imperial harem in the heart of Christendom, seems to have affected13 him. When he had commanded (for his son Stauracius) one of those “beauty102 shows” by which the Byzantine Court often selected a royal bride, and three blushing and beautiful maidens15 were presented for his final decision, he is said to have appropriated two of them and imposed the third on his son. The new Empress, Theophano, was an Athenian girl, a relative of Irene, but, though she was not devoid16 of ambition, Fate did not afford her the opportunity enjoyed by Irene. Nicephorus fell in war after a reign17 of nine years, and his skull18, tastefully mounted in silver, became a favourite drinking-cup of the King of Bulgaria. But his son Stauracius was gravely wounded in the same battle, and was borne back to the city in a litter in a dangerous condition.
Theophano, who was childless, saw the crown slipping from her hands as soon as she had obtained it. The Emperor’s sister Procopia was married to the chief governor of the palace, a very handsome, amiable19, black-haired youth, not wanting in popularity, and the soldiers and Senators whispered too loudly that he was fit to wear the purple. Stauracius, from his sickbed, petulantly20 ordered that the bright eyes of Michael should be cut out, and that the imperial power should pass to Theophano. Within a few weeks the army turned upon its helpless sovereign, and lodged21 him in a monastery22. Theophano passed from the palace to a nunnery and lost the beautiful hair which had so recently helped to win her a throne; but it should be added, for the credit of Michael, that he enabled her to soften24 the disappointment with all the comfort that a large fortune could afford a woman with sacred vows25.
Even more romance is packed into the brief story of the Empress Procopia. Rising with her father, Nicephorus, from the level of court officials to the imperial rank, she had married the handsome superintendent26 of the palace and had, after a fortunate escape from the vindictiveness27 of her brother (or of Theophano), been crowned mistress of the Roman world, in the gold-roofed triclinon on 2nd October 811. To her the Fates seemed103 to open a long and glorious career. Her husband had neither grit28 nor judgment29, and she virtually undertook the administration of the Empire. Unhappily, she illustrated30 in a fatal degree the proverbial subservience31 of women to priests and monks32. The policy of Nicephorus was reversed; the Church smiled under a shower of gold, while the heretics were lashed34 into sullen35 defiance36 in the provinces. Officers and nobles looked with disdain37 and irritation38 on this revival39 of clericalism, and even concerted a plot to bring the eyeless sons of Constantine VI. to the throne from their distant priestly homes. When, in the year 812, Procopia drove out at the head of the troops, who were marching against the Bulgarians, the soldiers murmured and the “simple-minded” Michael, as a contemporary calls him, was insulted. And when, in the following spring, Michael, relying on his spiritual advisers40 for carnal warfare41, was ignominiously42 beaten by the Bulgarians, the soldiers offered the crown to a vigorous Armenian officer and marched on the city.
Thus in less than two years Procopia forfeited43 the power which, she believed, she had used so admirably. Her mild and timid husband returned to the capital to tell her that he proposed to resign and avoid a civil war. She raged in vain at his pusillanimity44; the chroniclers tell us, in particular, that she dwelt with strong invective45 on the notion of this unlettered officer’s wife appearing in the purple. While they discussed, the army reached Constantinople, and they fled, with their children, to a chapel46 in the palace grounds near the sea. The end was ruthless and inevitable47. Michael, who was little feared, was clothed with the monastic habit which befitted him, and placed on one of the Princes’ Islands, in the Sea of Marmora, from which so many kings and princes were to gaze upon the palace they had lost. His elder son was castrated. Procopia was shorn and clothed with the hated black dress of a nun23, and, deprived of all her property, she lived for a few miserable104 years with her daughters in a convent on the fringe of the city.
The Empress Theodosia, wife of Leo the Armenian, who now ascended48 the throne, hardly merited all the disdain with which Procopia had depicted49 her in the imperial robes. She was the daughter of Arsaberes, an officer and patrician50 of such rank and culture that there had been an attempt to put him on the throne in the reign of Nicephorus. One of the chroniclers, however, speaks incidentally of Leo’s “incestuous marriage,” and we may assume that there was something wrong in the connexion. It matters little, as Theodosia remains52 in complete obscurity during her husband’s seven years’ reign. Only in the last week does she make her first, and last, appearance in history.
In spite of a sincere desire to reform the Empire, and the most energetic measures to purify and strengthen it, Leo became unpopular. Reformers were rarely popular at Constantinople, and Leo had the additional disadvantage of favouring the Iconoclasts54. When fiery55 monks denounced his maxim56 of universal toleration, he resorted to violence, and hands and feet began to fall under the axes of his soldiers. At last he discovered that the Count of his guards, Michael, was at the head of a conspiracy57, and he is said—many historians refuse to believe the statement—to have ordered that Michael be cast forthwith into the furnace which heated the baths of the palace. It was Christmas Eve, and the Empress was horrified58 to learn that the feast was to be desecrated59 in this way. As the soldiers conducted Michael through the palace, she rushed from her bed, with flying locks and disordered dress, and fell upon Leo “like a bacchante.” He sullenly60 postponed61 the execution, muttering: “You and the children will see what comes of keeping me from sin.” Michael was fettered62 and confined, and Leo retired63 with the key of the fetters64 in his breast.
The unknown story of Theodosia, daughter of Arsaberes,105 ends in a thrilling page of romance. Leo slept little, the fear that he had blundered tormenting65 him, and at last he went in the dead of night to the chamber66 in which Michael was confined. To his surprise he found Michael sleeping on the jailer’s bed, instead of being chained to the wall. He retired to consider the matter, but it seems that he took no steps, and, in the early morning, he went to the chapel to chant matins with the clergy67. Now a page, who had been lying in a corner of Michael’s cell, had noticed the purple slippers68 of the man who had entered; he at once wakened Michael and his friendly jailer, and a message was hastily sent to friends in the city, threatening to betray them to Leo if they did not deliver Michael at once. It was, as I said, the depth of winter—it was now Christmas morning—and a group of singers were to enter the palace in the early hours to join with Leo in singing the service. Leo had a resonant69 voice, of which he was very proud. With these singers, hooded70 and cloaked with fur, the conspirators72 mingled73, and made their way to the chapel, concealing74 their swords. They stood perplexed75 in the dim and cold chapel, as Leo had drawn76 his fur hood71 over his head and was unrecognizable, until at last his sonorous77 voice rang out, and their swords gleamed in the light of the lamp. Leo, a very powerful man, seized the cross, and defended himself for a time, but soon fell dead to the ground. Theodosia was turned adrift in the desolate78 Empire, her four boys were castrated—one dying under the brutal79 mutilation—and Michael the Stammerer80, instead of passing to the furnace, sat on the golden throne, even before the fetters could be struck from his feet.
The reign of Michael introduces us at length to the woman whose name stands at the head of this chapter. Michael was the son of a Phrygian peasant, knowing more about pigs and mules81 than about Greek letters, says the indignant chronicler, and had risen from the lowest rank of the army. He had in early years married the106 daughter of an officer; though we may smile at the legend that Thecla was bestowed82 upon him because some soothsayer had foretold83 his fortune. Thecla had enjoyed a year or two of splendour and passed away, leaving a son and daughter. Second marriages were not favoured by the clergy and monks, and it is said that Michael secretly arranged with the Senators that they should press him to marry again; but when we find that he married a nun, we can hardly suppose that he was disposed to fear the clergy. His second Empress, Euphrosyne, has made no mark in history, yet she is interesting. It will be remembered that twenty years earlier the son of Irene had divorced his wife Maria, and sent her and her young daughters into a convent. It was one of these daughters who, after spending twenty years’ placid84 existence in a religious house during all the storms that had swept through the palace, was recalled to the world, relieved of her vows by the patriarch, and married to the boorish85 Michael. After four or five years’ further enjoyment86 of the palace, Michael was carried off by dysentery, and left the Empire to Euphrosyne and her stepson Theophilus. Here begins the story of the sainted Theodora, and ends the brief visit of Euphrosyne to the brighter world.
When Theophilus ascended the throne in 829 he is said to have been a widower87, though still young. The chroniclers persistently88 state that the youngest of his five daughters married one of his officers a few years after his accession, and the only solution of this singular puzzle is said to be that an earlier wife had died and left him with several girls. He was not, at all events, married when he was crowned in 829, and, with the aid of Euphrosyne, he sought a consort89. Once more matrimonial commissioners90 searched the city and the provinces, and every father of a beautiful girl hastened to display her charms to the imperial examiners. Some writers would confine the scrutiny91 to the city of Constantinople, but the fact that Theodora came from the107 distant province of Paphlagonia confirms the statement of George the Monk33 that the imperial commissioners travelled through “all regions” (of the Empire) in search of a perfect bride. The utmost that panegyric92 has been able to say of Theodora’s parents, Marinus and Theoclista, is that they were “not ignoble93.” We may assume that, like the Empress Maria, the mother of Euphrosyne, she was discovered in some obscure village of Asia Minor94 and conducted, with fluttering heart, to the Court of the great king.
Euphrosyne added a picturesque95 feature to the “competition.” She arranged the élite of the candidates in a line in the hall of one of the palaces, gave Theophilus a golden apple, and bade him give the apple to the lady of his choice. He first approached a maiden14 named Casia, or Cassia, who was not only the most beautiful of them all, but had some repute for poetical96 talent. “How much evil has come through woman,” said the imperial prig, improvising97 a Greek verse. “Yet how many better things have come from woman,” the young poetess modestly retorted, in verse. To her great mortification98 he passed on, apparently99 displeased100 with her ready tongue, and gave the apple to Theodora. Casia retired to a nunnery and to the composition of hymns101, and Theodora was, on Whitsunday 830, married and crowned by the patriarch Antony in the historic chapel of St Stephen.
Euphrosyne returned to her convent immediately after the coronation. Some authorities say that she was dismissed by Theophilus, others that she retired voluntarily. It is not improbable that twenty years of religious life had made her a real nun at heart, and she retired the moment she was relieved of those reasons of State which had interrupted her solitude102.
During the thirteen years of the reign of Theophilus the Empress bore her children and confined herself to the gyn?ceum, as a good Empress should. Two sons and five daughters are assigned to her, but, as I said, some,108 if not all, of these daughters of Theophilus seem to have had an earlier mother. Maria is described as the youngest, yet about the year 832, two or three years after the marriage of Theodora, she married the commander Alexis. She died shortly afterwards.
Theodora had been piously103 educated in the orthodox faith, and it is piquant104 to read the approving language of the religious writers when they describe her duping her husband and breaking her oath to him. Cardinal105 Baronius, who is endorsed106 by the Bollandists, calls her “the glory and ornament107 of holy womanhood ... the unique example of exalted108 holiness in the east.” We shall follow these distinguished109 authorities on sanctity with some hesitation110 when we afterwards find Theodora encouraging her son in vice11, in order that he may leave the administration to her and the clergy, and permitting him to hold drunken suppers with his mistress in her palace; but the worldly minded biographer must be less enthusiastic than they even about her earlier actions.
The first anecdote111 told of her is that the Emperor one day noticed a heavily laden112 ship making for the port of Constantinople and learned that it belonged to Theodora. He went down in great anger to the quay113, and ordered the ship and its cargo114 to be burned. “God made me an Emperor,” he cried, “and my wife and Augusta has made me a shipowner.” The Bollandists merely enlarge at this point on the naughtiness of princes who wish to monopolize115 trade for their own profit, but I think that a better defence of Theodora can be imagined. The young Empress was probably blameless. It was a custom of courtiers to evade116 the duties on imports by trading in the name of the Empress, and Theodora would hardly understand the matter sufficiently117 to refuse her name at once.
The genial118 critic will also regard with some indulgence her petty mendacities in regard to the beloved images which she cherished in secret. One day her jester, or half-witted page, came suddenly into her room and found109 her embracing the forbidden statues. She told him that they were dolls, and Denderis went at once to tell Theophilus of the pretty dolls with which his wife played in secret. Theophilus angrily started from the table and went to her room. The fool was mistaken, she cried; she and her maids had been looking in a mirror, and the boy had taken their images in the mirror to be dolls.18 Theophilus was not convinced. Little more could be learned from the page, who had been flogged by Theodora and told to hold his tongue about dolls, so that whenever Theophilus asked him, he said: “Hush, Emperor; nothing about dolls.” But his young daughters also now began to speak of dolls, especially when they returned from visits to Theodora’s mother, who had a palace at Gastria across the water. He learned from them that the old lady kept a chest full of pretty dolls, which they were encouraged to kiss and embrace when they visited her. The visits were immediately stopped, and Theodora was compelled to take the most sacred oaths that she would never favour the worship of images. Like Irene, she did so with mental reservation.
The long and vigorous reign of Theophilus ended sadly. Unsuccessful in war, indiscreet at home, and at war with the clergy, he wasted his talent in adding to the luxury of the Court. He found a wonderful mechanic and engaged him to fill the palace with expensive toys that seemed to enhance the imperial dignity. Before “Solomon’s Throne” in the Magnaura palace were set lions of gilded119 bronze which would rise and roar at the approach of foreign ambassadors. Golden trees, with golden singing birds, invisible organs, and all kinds of mechanical barbarities were added to the rare furniture of the palace. New palaces also were built in the grounds: a semicircular hall with roof of gold and doors of bronze and silver, fountains which gave aromatic120 wine110 from their silver pipes on feast-days, summer palaces and chapels121 completely lined with the choicest marbles and mosaics122. A superb palace was raised on the Asiatic shore in imitation of the Caliph’s palace at Bagdad, and the palace at Blachern?, in the cool northern suburb, now spread over a vast domain123. But with all this facile splendour Theophilus was conscious that he failed to hold the ever-pressing enemies of the Empire, and he became morose124 and diseased. Theodora seems to have kept his affection to the end. In an earlier year she had detected him in criminal intimacy125 with one of her maids, and he had asked her forgiveness with great humility126. His last act was a brutal murder in her interest. The noble Theophobos, who was married to the Emperor’s sister Helena, was in jail on some suspicion. Theophilus feared that he might aspire127 to the throne, and ordered the head of the unfortunate noble to be brought to him. He died in January 842, leaving the Empire to Theodora and her infant son Michael.19
Theodora now had supreme128 power, and her first care was to restore the worship of images, in spite of her heavy oaths to Theophilus. In this she needed diplomacy129, as well as casuistry, since the learned patriarch John, as well as the majority of the Senators, were opposed to images. There was, moreover, a Council of Regency, consisting of three of the abler officials of the Court. The first of them, Theoclistos, the eunuch “keeper of the purple ink,” was an official of some111 ability, and so devoted130 to Theodora that, in spite of his condition, the gossip of the city associated the saint and the eunuch in a most unedifying manner. The second member was Manuel, an uncle of Theodora and an Iconoclast53; the third her brother Bardas, a man of equal ability and unscrupulousness, who could be relied upon either to worship or to break an image according to his interest. It was to this man, in spite of notoriously immoral131 life, that Theodora entrusted132 the tutorship of the young prince; and there cannot be the slightest doubt that Michael was deliberately133 educated in vice and sensuality, in order to divert his attention from political power. St Theodora was to be the mother of the Nero of the Eastern Empire.
The first step was taken in the restoration of images shortly after the beginning of the Regency. Michael fell dangerously ill and at one time he was believed to be dead. The monks came from the great monastery of Studion, the most fiery centre of orthodoxy, to pray over the remains of the Iconoclast—a singular procedure—and it was presently announced that he had miraculously134 recovered his life and was converted to the worship of images. In this new zeal135 he pressed the Empress to remove the impious restriction136 on piety, and for a time she resisted, pleading the sanctity of her oath. Knowing Constantinople as we do, we have little difficulty in regarding the whole procedure as a comedy. At length a council was summoned in the house of Theoclistus, and the reform was sanctioned. The patriarch John was now ordered to convoke137 a synod; he refused, and the way in which that obstacle was removed so well illustrates138 the character of Constantinople, if not of Theodora, that it is worth describing.
John was one of the most learned men of his time, a genius in physical science and mechanical art. His rationalistic opposition139 to the popular cult51 of relics140 and statues, however, gave a dark aspect to his learning, and he was commonly regarded as a magician and a secret112 libertine141. Men told each other of the subterraneous chamber which he had in his brother’s house for entertaining nuns142 and other pretty women. In reality, he seems to have been a learned and conscientious143 man, and, even when Bardas cruelly flogged him, he refused to submit to the Empress’s wish and relieve her from her oath. The report was given out from the palace that he had inflicted144 the marks of the scourge145 on himself, and had even attempted to commit suicide. He was at once deposed146 and confined in a monastery; and, when it was reported to Theodora, no doubt falsely, that he had there pricked147 the eyes out of a picture of Christ, she angrily sentenced him to lose his own eyes and to receive two hundred strokes of the loaded scourge. He had been one of the chief pillars of her husband’s reign. His friends, I may add, retorted by accusing the new patriarch Methodius of rape148, but decency149 prevents me from describing how the archbishop happily escaped the charge by proving, in open court, that St Peter had miraculously relieved him from temptations of the flesh many years before.
The new patriarch convoked150 a synod, and crowds of monks flocked to Constantinople from all parts to encourage the good work, and marched through the streets of Constantinople under their sacred ensigns. Theodora surprised the bishops151 and abbots, as they sat in conclave152, by demanding that they should issue a guarantee that her husband was absolved153 from his sins. It was a dangerous precedent154, and they protested that they had no power to give such an assurance. Theodora then explained that she had presented a sacred image to Theophilus in his last hour, and that he had embraced it fervently155. Modern historians are ungallant enough to disbelieve her story, and no doubt there were many at the time who distrusted Theodora’s casuistic ability, but when she proceeded to hint that image-worship would not be restored unless they satisfied her, they decreed that the sins of Theophilus had been undone157 by repentance158.113 At the conclusion of the synod Theodora entertained the holy men in her Carian palace, or palace built entirely159 of the famous Carian marble, at Blachern?. Near the end of the banquet, when the cakes and sweets were being served, her eye fell on the grim, disfigured face of the religious poet Theophanes. He had come from Palestine to Constantinople, during her husband’s reign, to fight for the images, and Theophilus had sent him into exile with no less than twelve lines of bad verse tattooed160 on his face, announcing that he was a “wretched vessel161 of superstition162.” Theophanes marked the tearful gaze of the Empress, and impetuously cried that he would not forget to ask the judgment of God on Theophilus for the outrage163. “Is this the way you keep your promise?” she exclaimed excitedly; and the bishops had to intervene and appease164 her and the martyr165.
This restoration of image-worship seems to be the one virtue166 which ensured for Theodora a place in the Greek canon of the saints (on 11th February). That she led a chaste167 life we need not doubt for a moment. The rumour168 of amorous169 relations with Theoclistus is foolish gossip, and a man named Gebo, who afterwards claimed to be her natural son, was either an impostor or a lunatic. But the shallowness of her piety and weakness of her moral character are too plainly revealed in the debauching of her son by her own brother, into whose care she gave the young Emperor. The historian Finlay observes that “in the series of Byzantine Emperors from Leo III. to Michael III., only two proved utterly171 unfit for the duties of their station, and both appear to have been corrupted172 by the education they received from their mothers.” When we reflect on the strange types of men whom the disordered life of the Empire brought to the throne, this is a terrible impeachment173 of Irene and Theodora; and it is a just impeachment. No man was less fit than her brother Bardas to train a youth, and the only conceivable palliation of Theodora’s guilt174 is that she wished to retain power in the interest of the Church. How even114 that hope was mocked, and the rule of her son ended in debauchery and murder in her own house, we have next to consider.
For some ten years the Empire enjoyed comparative peace and prosperity. The Bulgarians, learning that a woman and a child ruled the Empire, made inflated175 demands, but Theodora met them with admirable firmness, and averted176 war. Her only grave blunder was the ruthless persecution177 of heresy178. She sent officers to convert the masses of Paulicians in the eastern provinces, and, whether with her consent or no, they perpetrated horrible butcheries in the name of religion and engendered180 a civil war. Then, as Michael approached his sixteenth year, a series of terrible internal troubles and disorders181 set in.
Gladly following the example of his tutor Bardas, the young Emperor fell in love with the beautiful daughter of a high official of the Court named Inger. Eudocia Ingerina is described by one of the writers of the Court of Constantine VII.—her grandson—as “one of the most beautiful and most modest women of her time.” The course of this narrative182 will show that she was, as most of the chroniclers say, one of the most dissolute women of the time, second only to Theodora’s daughter Thecla. Whether she betrayed her laxity even at this early age, or whether Theodora merely dreaded183 an alliance of her son with a distinguished officer, we cannot confidently say. The chroniclers suggest that she was already the lover of Michael, and that Theodora and Theoclistus interfered184. They compelled Michael to marry another Eudocia, daughter of the patrician Decapolita. We do not know the fate of this lady and may trust that she did not live to see the more sordid185 phases of her husband’s life. It seems that very shortly after the marriage he resumed his relations with the daughter of Inger.
Bardas now began to force his ambition more openly and get rid of the members of the Council of Regency.115 He first, by means of Theoclistus, drove his uncle Manuel into private life, and then turned upon Theoclistus, who ventured to remonstrate186 with him about his notorious liaison187 with his own daughter-in-law. Fearing for his life Theoclistus built a house close to the palace, communicating with it by an iron door, which was carefully guarded, and continued to administer the Empire in conjunction with Theodora. There is some indication that Theodora’s three sisters—Sophia, Maria and Irene—also had some share in the administration. Bardas pointed188 out to his pupil that he was improperly189 excluded by them, and suggested that Theodora intended to marry Theoclistus and have Michael’s eyes put out. When, therefore, Theoclistus next went to read his report to Theodora, he was intercepted190 by a group of the servants of Bardas, who, in the name of the Emperor, demanded his papers. A scuffle took place, and Theoclistus was imprisoned191, and presently murdered in his cell. One of the chroniclers would have us believe that one of Theodora’s daughters actually witnessed the murder on behalf of her brother.
Theodora was beside herself when the news reached her that her favourite minister had been murdered. She is described as roaming about the palace with dishevelled hair, weeping and upbraiding192 her son and brother. The natural result was that they decided193 to remove her, and she saw that her rule had come to an end. She summoned the Senators and laid before them a financial statement of the affairs of the Empire. She had so well husbanded the funds left by Theophilus that a store of gold and silver amounting to many million pounds of our coinage, besides chests of jewels and other treasure, were at the disposal of the State. “I tell you this,” she shrewdly added, “in order that you may not readily believe my son the Emperor if, when I have quitted the palace, he tells you that I left it empty.” She saluted194 the Senators, laid down her power, and quitted the imperial palace. But Michael and Bardas were not116 content. As Theodora and her daughters went to the palace at Blachern? they were arrested by her elder brother Petronas, shorn of their hair, and confined, in the dress of nuns, in the Carian palace at Blachern?. They continued, however, to regard the proceedings195 at Court with close interest, and were transferred to the palace-monastery of Gastria across the water.
ΕΥΔΟΚΙΑ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΑ
ΛΕΩΝ ΔΕΣΠΟΤΗΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ
EUDOCIA INGERINA, WIFE OF BASIL I
FROM DU CANGE’S ‘HISTORIA BYZANTINA’
From her near exile Theodora watched the next dramatic phase of the quarrel. It was in the year 856, apparently, that Theoclistus was murdered and she forced to resign, and the next ten years witnessed a repellent development of Michael’s vices. He has passed into history under the name of Michael the Drunkard, but drunkenness was not the worst of his vices. He lived in open association with Eudocia Ingerina and filled the palace with scenes that had been banished196 from Roman life with the death of Nero. The only point that can be urged in favour of Byzantine morals is that the drastic legislation and action of earlier Emperors had checked the spread of unnatural197 vice. Apart from this, Michael the Drunkard ranks with Nero and Caligula, and, in respect of some kinds of grossness, surpasses them. Only the more repellent pages of Zola’s “La Terre” offer an analogy to the coarse practices which Michael rewarded in the abominable198 circle he gathered about him. It is enough to say that the filthiest199 of his friends dressed in the vestments of the archbishop, and had eleven followers200 dressed as metropolitan201 bishops; that they used the sacred vessels202, with a mixture of mustard and vinegar, for their parody203 of the Mass; and that they paraded the streets on asses179 in this guise204, and hailed the patriarch himself with obscene cries and gestures. The treasures left by Theodora were soon dissipated on these ruffians and on Michael’s favourite charioteers, and the golden curiosities made by Theophilus were melted down to eke205 out the failing exchequer206. And when Michael was told that the enemies of the Empire were once more pressing on its narrowed frontiers, he callously207 ordered117 that the line of signal fires, which were wont208 to announce the inroad of the enemy from the distant provinces, should be abandoned, so that his chariot races might not be interrupted.
Such was the spectacle which Theodora had to contemplate209 for ten weary years, nor can she have been unconscious how deeply she was responsible for it. At length, in 866, the infamous210 career of her brother came to a close, and she was free to return to the Court. A new favourite had arisen and displaced Bardas. A handsome groom211 in the imperial service, Basil the Macedonian, had caught the fancy of Michael. When Bardas one day denounced a noble for not saluting212 him in the street, as he passed in the gorgeous robe of a C?sar—a dignity to which Michael raised him in 865—the noble was deposed from office and Basil put in his place. Basil was married, but the besotted Emperor forced him to divorce his wife and marry Eudocia Ingerina; and, as Michael retained Eudocia as his own mistress, he brought his willing sister Thecla from her nunnery and made her the mistress of Basil. Bardas was now alarmed and perceived that either he or Basil must die. I need not enter into the sordid details. Enough to say that Basil and Michael decoyed the C?sar from the city, after a solemn oath on the cross and the sacrament, which were held before them by the patriarch, that they had no design on his life, and murdered him. This occurred on Whit-Monday 866; on the following Saturday Basil was crowned and anointed co-Emperor of the Romans.
To this blood-stained and sordid Court Theodora did not hesitate to return as soon as Bardas was slain213. One of the chroniclers tells an anecdote which would, if one dare reproduce it in full, give some idea of the atmosphere which she breathed. Michael one day summoned her to come and receive the blessing214 of the patriarch, who was with him. She entered and bent215 in inobservant reverence216 before the vested figure beside her son, and she was, to the loud delight of Michael, startled by an118 outrage that the rudest peasant would hardly suffer to be offered to his mother. It was the infamous mock-patriarch Gryllus, perpetrating his coarsest joke.
This, however, seems to have occurred before her abdication217, and she seems, after the murder of Bardas, to have lived chiefly in the Anthemian palace across the water. Unfortunately, the last scene in the squalid reign of her son shows that she still tolerated his excesses. Basil, in turn, had seen a new favourite arise and threaten his hope of inheriting the Empire. In a drunken fit Michael had put his purple slippers on a vulgar servant—a man who had formerly218 rowed in the galleys—for praising his chariot-driving, and brutally219 observed to the tearful Eudocia, who sat beside him, that the man was more fit for the purple than her husband. Basil, if not Eudocia, concluded that the Emperor must be assassinated220, and before long Theodora provided them with an opportunity. I am not for a moment suggesting that Theodora was aware of their intention, but this last appearance of hers on the stage of history is a painful close of her career.
She invited Michael to sup and stay at her palace after he had spent a day hunting on the Asiatic side of the water. Such an invitation might be innocent, even virtuous221, if there were a design to separate the young Emperor from his associates and, perhaps, endeavour to counsel him. But we find that his usual Court accompanied him, and the evening was spent in drunken debauch170. The new favourite, Basilicius, and Michael were put to bed in a drunken condition. Basil, with whom was Eudocia, had slipped from the room and tampered222 with the fastenings of their doors, and in the middle of the night Theodora awoke to hear the clash of swords and cries of hurrying men; Michael and Basilicius had been murdered, and Basil and Eudocia were hastening to Constantinople to secure the palace.
The last glimpse we have of St Theodora is when she and her daughters convey the remains of the wretched119 Emperor to the city for interment in the great marble tombs of the kings. It was the autumn of 866, and, as the Greek Church celebrates her festival on 11th February, we may assume that she lived a few months afterwards in sad, if not penitent223, obscurity. Few in modern times, even of those who share her creed156, would venture to describe her as “the glory and ornament of her sex.” No woman of high character could have been betrayed into the criminal blunders which Theodora committed, however exalted she may have considered her ultimate aim to be. Yet we may grant that she was rather tainted224 by the pitiful casuistry of her time than evil in disposition225, and the historical memorial of her life-work is a sufficiently terrible punishment of her errors.
It remains briefly226 to dismiss the Empresses Eudocia and Thecla. On the morning after the murder Eudocia Ingerina sat proudly by the side of her husband, in the glorious robes and jewels of a reigning227 Empress, as he went to the great church to consecrate228 his Empire to Christ. She enjoyed her dignity for about fifteen years, but the only incident recorded of her is that she was detected by her husband in a liaison with a steward229 of the table. Thecla was discarded at the death of her brother and passed to less exalted lovers. Some years after his accession she sent a servant with a petition to Basil. “Who lives with your mistress at present?” the Emperor cynically230 asked. “Neatocomites,” the man promptly231 replied. Neatocomites was flogged and put in a monastery, and Thecla was flogged and robbed of the greater part of her fortune. It is the last glimpse we have of the family of St Theodora.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
pious
|
|
| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
piety
|
|
| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
peculiar
|
|
| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
realization
|
|
| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
virgin
|
|
| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
monasteries
|
|
| 修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
elevation
|
|
| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
tragic
|
|
| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
perfidious
|
|
| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
vices
|
|
| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
vice
|
|
| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
persecute
|
|
| vt.迫害，虐待；纠缠，骚扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
affected
|
|
| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
maiden
|
|
| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
maidens
|
|
| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
devoid
|
|
| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
reign
|
|
| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
amiable
|
|
| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
petulantly
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
lodged
|
|
| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
monastery
|
|
| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
nun
|
|
| n.修女，尼姑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
soften
|
|
| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
vows
|
|
| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
superintendent
|
|
| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
vindictiveness
|
|
| 恶毒；怀恨在心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
grit
|
|
| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
illustrated
|
|
| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
subservience
|
|
| n.有利，有益；从属（地位），附属性；屈从，恭顺；媚态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
monks
|
|
| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
monk
|
|
| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
lashed
|
|
| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
sullen
|
|
| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
defiance
|
|
| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
disdain
|
|
| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
irritation
|
|
| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
revival
|
|
| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
advisers
|
|
| 顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
warfare
|
|
| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
ignominiously
|
|
| adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
forfeited
|
|
| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
pusillanimity
|
|
| n.无气力，胆怯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
45
invective
|
|
| n.痛骂，恶意抨击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
chapel
|
|
| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
ascended
|
|
| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
depicted
|
|
| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
patrician
|
|
| adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
cult
|
|
| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
iconoclast
|
|
| n.反对崇拜偶像者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
iconoclasts
|
|
| n.攻击传统观念的人( iconoclast的名词复数 )；反对崇拜圣像者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
fiery
|
|
| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
maxim
|
|
| n.格言，箴言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
conspiracy
|
|
| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
desecrated
|
|
| 毁坏或亵渎( desecrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
sullenly
|
|
| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
postponed
|
|
| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
fettered
|
|
| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
retired
|
|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
fetters
|
|
| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
tormenting
|
|
| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
clergy
|
|
| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
slippers
|
|
| n. 拖鞋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
resonant
|
|
| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
hooded
|
|
| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
hood
|
|
| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
conspirators
|
|
| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
mingled
|
|
| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
concealing
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
perplexed
|
|
| adj.不知所措的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
sonorous
|
|
| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
desolate
|
|
| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
brutal
|
|
| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
stammerer
|
|
| n.口吃的人；结巴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
81
mules
|
|
| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
bestowed
|
|
| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
foretold
|
|
| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
placid
|
|
| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
boorish
|
|
| adj.粗野的，乡巴佬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
enjoyment
|
|
| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
widower
|
|
| n.鳏夫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
persistently
|
|
| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
consort
|
|
| v.相伴；结交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
commissioners
|
|
| n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
scrutiny
|
|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
panegyric
|
|
| n.颂词，颂扬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
ignoble
|
|
| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
picturesque
|
|
| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
poetical
|
|
| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
improvising
|
|
| 即兴创作（improvise的现在分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
mortification
|
|
| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
displeased
|
|
| a.不快的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
hymns
|
|
| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
solitude
|
|
| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
piously
|
|
| adv.虔诚地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
piquant
|
|
| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
cardinal
|
|
| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
endorsed
|
|
| vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
ornament
|
|
| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
exalted
|
|
| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
distinguished
|
|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
hesitation
|
|
| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
anecdote
|
|
| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
laden
|
|
| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
quay
|
|
| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
cargo
|
|
| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
monopolize
|
|
| v.垄断，独占，专营 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
evade
|
|
| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
genial
|
|
| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
gilded
|
|
| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
aromatic
|
|
| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
chapels
|
|
| n.小教堂， （医院、监狱等的）附属礼拜堂( chapel的名词复数 )；（在小教堂和附属礼拜堂举行的）礼拜仪式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
mosaics
|
|
| n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 )；镶嵌；镶嵌工艺；镶嵌图案 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
domain
|
|
| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
morose
|
|
| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
intimacy
|
|
| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
humility
|
|
| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
aspire
|
|
| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
supreme
|
|
| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
diplomacy
|
|
| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
devoted
|
|
| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
immoral
|
|
| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
entrusted
|
|
| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
miraculously
|
|
| ad.奇迹般地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
zeal
|
|
| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
restriction
|
|
| n.限制，约束 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
convoke
|
|
| v.召集会议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
illustrates
|
|
| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
opposition
|
|
| n.反对，敌对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
relics
|
|
| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
libertine
|
|
| n.淫荡者；adj.放荡的，自由思想的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
nuns
|
|
| n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
conscientious
|
|
| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
inflicted
|
|
| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
scourge
|
|
| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
deposed
|
|
| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
pricked
|
|
| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
rape
|
|
| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
decency
|
|
| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
convoked
|
|
| v.召集，召开（会议）( convoke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
bishops
|
|
| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
conclave
|
|
| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
absolved
|
|
| 宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
precedent
|
|
| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
fervently
|
|
| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
creed
|
|
| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
undone
|
|
| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
repentance
|
|
| n.懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
tattooed
|
|
| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
superstition
|
|
| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
outrage
|
|
| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
appease
|
|
| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
martyr
|
|
| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
virtue
|
|
| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
chaste
|
|
| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
rumour
|
|
| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
amorous
|
|
| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
debauch
|
|
| v.使堕落，放纵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
corrupted
|
|
| （使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
impeachment
|
|
| n.弹劾；控告；怀疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
guilt
|
|
| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
inflated
|
|
| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
averted
|
|
| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
persecution
|
|
| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
heresy
|
|
| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
asses
|
|
| n. 驴，愚蠢的人，臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
engendered
|
|
| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
disorders
|
|
| n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
narrative
|
|
| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
dreaded
|
|
| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
interfered
|
|
| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
sordid
|
|
| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
remonstrate
|
|
| v.抗议，规劝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
liaison
|
|
| n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
improperly
|
|
| 不正确地，不适当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
intercepted
|
|
| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
imprisoned
|
|
| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
upbraiding
|
|
| adj.& n.谴责（的）v.责备，申斥，谴责( upbraid的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
saluted
|
|
| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
proceedings
|
|
| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
banished
|
|
| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
unnatural
|
|
| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
abominable
|
|
| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
filthiest
|
|
| filthy（肮脏的，污秽的）的最高级形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
followers
|
|
| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
metropolitan
|
|
| adj.大城市的，大都会的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
vessels
|
|
| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
parody
|
|
| n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
guise
|
|
| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
eke
|
|
| v.勉强度日，节约使用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
exchequer
|
|
| n.财政部；国库 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
callously
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
wont
|
|
| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
contemplate
|
|
| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
infamous
|
|
| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
groom
|
|
| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
saluting
|
|
| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的现在分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
213
slain
|
|
| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
214
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
215
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
216
reverence
|
|
| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
217
abdication
|
|
| n.辞职；退位 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
218
formerly
|
|
| adv.从前，以前 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
219
brutally
|
|
| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
220
assassinated
|
|
| v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
221
virtuous
|
|
| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
222
tampered
|
|
| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
223
penitent
|
|
| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
224
tainted
|
|
| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
225
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
226
briefly
|
|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
227
reigning
|
|
| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
228
consecrate
|
|
| v.使圣化，奉…为神圣；尊崇；奉献 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
229
steward
|
|
| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
230
cynically
|
|
| adv.爱嘲笑地，冷笑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
231
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |